Opinion Editorials

In 2019, the World Bank released three studies, including ‘Common Transport Infrastructure’, ‘A Quantitative Model and Estimates from the Belt and Road Initiative’, ‘The Belt and Road Initiative Economic, Poverty and Environmental Impacts’, and ‘The Belt and Road Initiative Economic, Opportunities and Risks of Transport Corridor’. The studies were conducted…

ISLAMABAD: Work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has picked up pace in the past few months. We have seen a series of groundbreaking ceremonies and inauguration of completed projects. While every institution is playing its role and deserves appreciation, the real change can be attributed to the CPEC Authority.…

EMERGING socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic trends favoured the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) development which got finalized a series of mega projects of hydropower generation (dams) and a special economic zone (SEZ) in the country. The Government of Pakistan is now striving hard to finalize the “CPEC Authority Bill 2020” which…

ISLAMABAD: The political economy influences decision-making, which undermines the performance of economy and results in politicising of the economic priorities. Although all sectors of the economy are bearing the brunt of this situation, the energy sector has been impacted the most. The story of politicising the energy sector started after…

The 820-kilometer-long fibre optic cable project at a cost of $46 million, stretches from China’s western Xinjiang region and enters Pakistan through Khunjerab border and then travels through Gilgit Baltistan (GB) to Mansehra, KP to connect to Muzaffarabad, AJK and onwards to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where it is connected with…

Up to now, COVID-19 is still spreading across the globe, which has infected more than 8 million people. At the time when the situation in China was at its most difficult, the international community including Pakistan provided valuable support and assistance to our country and our people. Leaders of more…

IMPROVING physical access and communication between different parts of the world has gained importance as the cornerstone of global and regional integration and economic growth in recent years. However, its foundations were laid decades ago in 1776, when Adam Smith penned down his thoughts in simple words: “Good roads, canals,…

With a sizeable seafront, a large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf, Pakistan is blessed with abundant marine resource potential for innovation and economic growth. It is believed that Pakistan’s maritime zones are rich in living and non-living resources. However, sea blindness, little to no public-private partnership, dearth of…

After the recent skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh and North Sikkim, Chinese troops moved into sensitive areas along the eastern Ladakh border that India claims to be its territory. The point of contention is the illegally constructed Indian defence facilities across the Chinese side of the Galwan…

First hit by the pandemic, China shows the world how to handle it and its effects The much-awaited twin sessions or the two annual meetings, the first, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), commenced on Thursday, 21 May. The second meeting, of the National People’s Congress (NPC), began a…